A whale of a time

Polymer whale courtesy of Russia’s Anna Primak (Snorkys) on Instagram.

Sealife has been my theme this week as I wrap up a vacation in the tropics. We’re back to our regularly scheduled programming on Monday.

Tool Tuesday

Craftcast’s free I Love Tools webinar introduces us to a whole bunch of the latest tools and ideas. The ninth edition of this popular show will be online live on Tuesday. Sign up here.

Don’t despair if you can’t join in at 7:30 ET on Tuesday evening, the recorded version will be available later. The live party is the best fun if you can squeeze it in.

Check out the lineup of artists and find out what tools they’ve discovered to make your studio life easier.

Polymer travels

Here’s the latest version of the Shisha beads that the ladies in the Samunnat Nepal project have been making for California bead dealer, KazuriWest. The ethnic-inspired beads have been very popular in the US market and are now available in new colors. Shisha refers to the tiny mirrors embedded in the clay that echo the exotic mirror-encrusted saris and textiles of Nepal.

The building pictured here was built with money raised by the polymer community. You helped raise enough money to create this permanent home for the project which includes workshop space and room for temporary housing for women in crisis situations.

The three stalls on the left are micro-financed businesses that the women fund as some participants launch out on their own. That’s Ron Lehocky’s gift cow grazing in the yard.

You might enjoy reading about this month’s exciting delivery of a vibrating sander (carried in a suitcase by Australia’s Wendy Moore). This has been an exciting story from the start.

Funds raised by the FIMO50WorldProject will support the project and you have until the end of April to submit your tile and join in the fun!

Polymer imitates life

This beachy necklace from Michigan’s Sandra Niese (DandyBeads) could have floated off from the beach I visited this morning. See Sandra on Facebook and Pinterest.

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.

Still on vacation

Unbalanced teaching

France’s Sylvie Peraud will be crossing the pond in June to teach her Unbalanced Necklace (shown here) and her Denim tricks at the Creative Arts Fest: Master Class Camp in Laurel, MD June 17-20.

I couldn’t resist that headline. Thought it might get your attention.

Sylvie likes dramatically balanced/unbalanced and cleverly constructed pieces. She’s already worked on rounds and squares and her almost triangular necklace was the next logical step. It’s completely made of polymer and the clasp is cleverly camouflaged.

Here are the registration details and the list of classes (an impressive line-up). Find out more about Sylvie on Facebook, Flickr and CraftArtEdu.

Clay day at the beach

Since I’m going to the beach next week, I found myself gravitating to all things sunny and warm. Rather than fight the urge, I headed to Deb Groover’s (Debortina) Florida site where I knew I’d find what I was looking for.

Deb and Tina’s big clay paintings are filled with bright slabs of polymer. Here the umbrellas, surf boards, beach chairs and bathing suits (plus a few dogs, balls and towels) are flat pieces of pre-baked polymer affixed to a wood background and painted around. (She explains how on this StudioMojo video.)

Deb and Tina hop-scotch between art shows in the south, next week in Tallahassee. On Facebook you can see how their clients love to integrate the paintings into their homes.

This is also my way of letting you know that I’ll try to write some posts but delivery may be sporadic.

Frothy polymer

Jana Roberts Benzon continues to unlock the texture secrets of polymer. She’s ruffled, crumpled and cut her pieces with laser-like precision. Still she felt compelled to push farther.

Now she’s whipped up frothy layers that undulate around this new bangle. Here she is on Facebook and Flickr.

Jana jots her ideas in marker on her glass work surface as she experiments. She uses her phone to take a picture of each step before she erases the writing and moves on.

No more lost steps or mystery processes. Documentation like this is a must if you’re an avid experimenter like Jana.

Zap, slap, bang

A zap of color from Maryanne Loveless and her Colorplay series for Tuesday.

A few tiny textures topped with small cane slices with holes that reveal the crazy cutup colors underneath. You can tell that Maryanne is playing and moving fast. Makes you want to join in, doesn’t it? She calls her business ArtMakesMeHappy and it’s easy to see why.

You can track more of her work and her inspirations on Pinterest and Etsy.

Polymer from the pool

Claire Wallis’ water cane will make you want to dive into your studio this week. Her watery blue polymer canes could have been skimmed right off the surface of the pool. Collectors can wear the beach around their necks.

A group of us tried Claire’s striped cane tutorial that appeared in the November issue of ArtJewelry magazine. Wouldn’t you like to test this one? Maybe we can get Claire to write it up in time for summer.

Claire is perhaps most well known for her face and animal canes. Here she is on Flickr, Etsy, Facebook, Pinterest and on CraftArtEdu.

Mimicking stone

Italy’s Ilenia Moreni fools us with her imitative labradorite. Labradorite’s gleaming layered colors are bisected with tricky lines. I’m glad I fell for her faux and bought the tutorial. She makes me want to explore stone imitations again.

Ilenia plays tricks with clothing as well and is able to replicate any era and follow any fancy. Follow her on Flickr and Facebook.

Be an April fool and enjoy all the secrets and tricks in her Etsy shop.

April 30 deadline – No fooling!

Dana Phamova’s tile for the FIMO50 World Project shows off her fascination with color, light and shadow. Her 4″ tile could be a modern painting, a mosaic, or a collection of pieces from a Monopoly game. See more of Dana’s color studies here and here as well as on Flickr and Instagram.

The tiles from American artists continue to pile up in my studio until April 30 when I’ll box them up together and whisk them off to Germany. You still have time to mail yours to me in Ohio. Let’s make a great showing.

A sampling of entries are fun to study on Fimo50WorldProject. (Instagram updated its system forcing me to learn a new routine. Not to worry if yours hasn’t shown up yet. Check back.) Now off to the studio to finish your tile!

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